Reunion

This is a week of reunion. Friday our good friend Julya and her son Chance visited in Anderson. I felt a little bad about Chance having to hang out with us. He did pretty well. I appreciate Julya's ability to listen and her love for God. She's very intuitive. Julya and I visited another high school friend, Charlotte, on Monday. It was fun to catch up and realize how much we have in common because of age, common values, and parenting. On Wednesday Kim and I drove to Sacramento on the first leg of our road trip to Tahoe. We have been staying with Pattie. It's so good to see her and spend some time together. We also got to visit with Zach and see Adam very quickly. We had coffee with the Streeters today. Always fun to see what God is doing in their lives. The girls were with them and they are getting so big. Tomorrow we head to Tahoe and will spend some time with four friends from college. I've had some good laughs with Kim. My stomach hurts from laughing so much. I bought a sketch pad and have been doing some drawing and I painted a picture for Pattie's apartment. The art has felt therapeutic.

Rattlesnake Strike

Yesterday was like a rattlesnake strike.

My friend who lives in Missouri was struck by a rattlesnake on her back porch. I can only imagine the terror. One minute you’re in your home, comfortable, and the next minute you step outside and smack, venom is spreading through your body.

I felt like that when I got news yesterday that my aunt has cancer. Perry & I had just spent a few terrific days at the coast celebrating his birthday. When we came home I got the news that my aunt has cancer and is undergoing chemo and radiation at the same time. First you’re numb and then you start talking to God. Shock, sadness, heal her, give my family strength, helplessness, anger, submission, hope. I struggled with the most basic issue – do you trust me, Peggy? With life, death. Am I still good when someone you love dies? I thought of Job. He was no fair-weather follower. I hope the venom doesn't spread. Trust is the anti-venom.

Brain investment

So, I was watching old Looney Tune cartoons and I found that I remembered almost all of them from when I was a kid. Granted my brother and I never missed a Saturday morning of Looney Tunes for years, but I began to wonder how much of my brain synapses were dedicated to Looney Tune memories? Then as I got older it was song lyrics like Copa Cabana and Why Can't we be Friends? I hope I haven't used up too much connections on cartoons and Copa Cabana! I guess I should tell my kids that when I get older if the short term memory goes they can just watch cartoons and sing Barry Manilow songs with me.